Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system and method for irrigating irregular-shaped agricultural fields.
Irrigation systems are frequently used to deposit water and/or pesticides throughout a field of crops. Center pivot irrigation systems move in a circle or semi-circle about a central pivot while lateral irrigation systems are configured to move along a generally straight line across a square or rectangular-shaped field.
Lateral irrigation systems can not fully irrigate irregular shaped fields or fields with portions that are too narrow for passage of the lateral irrigation system. Furthermore, lateral irrigation systems that use a canal as a water source cannot fully irrigate fields when the canal is not parallel with a boundary of the field, because the irrigation systems generally move substantially parallel to the canal. Therefore, if the canal is positioned or naturally oriented at a diagonal angle relative to an otherwise rectangular field, the lateral irrigation system moving parallel to the canal will move substantially diagonally across the field and therefore miss some corner portions of the field.
Accordingly, there is a need for a lateral irrigation system that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.